“Preliminary data show that the number of North Korean soldiers killed and wounded in the Kursk region already exceeds 3,000,” Zelensky wrote on the “X” platform.
South Korea announced earlier on Monday that around 1,100 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured since hostilities began in December.
Ukraine’s president said he had received a report from Army Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Sirsky on the situation in the Kursk region and warned of “risks that North Korea will send additional troops and military equipment to the Russian army.”
Zelensky said the world must understand that “increasing cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang” proportionally increases the “risk of destabilization around the Korean Peninsula and in neighboring regions or waters.”
Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to reinforce Russia’s armed forces in the Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a cross-border offensive in August.
North Korea and Russia are strengthening military cooperation and Pyongyang is actively supplying Moscow with weapons for the war in Ukraine, receiving financial support and much-needed oil for its economy in return, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.
Satellite images show that North Korea is not only sending more and more ammunition to Russia, but is also expanding its own weapons production. This allows Moscow to compensate for the losses caused by sanctions and hostilities.
“North Korean munitions support Russia’s defense capabilities,” Ukrainian army officer Andriy Kovalenko said.
Western officials believe Pyongyang is likely to gain access to nuclear technology from the Kremlin, a major concern for U.S. allies, according to information obtained by the WSJ.
Millions of artillery rounds from North Korea have already helped Russia make up for its ammunition shortage. Ukrainian officials say missiles transferred by Pyongyang now account for a significant portion of Russian attacks. North Korean weapon systems are actively used, such as modernized KN-25 missile launchers.